United States

Can Elk Grove Handle A Zaha Hadid?

A previous Elk Grove, CA city council hired architect Zaha Hadid to design their city center, but the new council hates her "squid-like" design.

April 4, 2011 - The New York Times

L.A. Mayor: 30 Years of Transit Projects in 10 Years

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa believes that LA's 30/10 Plan could be incorporated nationwide to speed transit projects.

April 3, 2011 - Streets Blog

'Pocket Neighborhoods' On the Rise

Small neighborhood developments of cottages with low square footage known as "pocket neighborhoods" are catching on, especially with empty nesters looking to downsize.

April 2, 2011 - USA Today

Segregated America

Using data from the 2010 U.S. Census, Salon lists out 10 urban areas where race segregation is most prevalent.

April 2, 2011 - Salon

Sharing Burritos Across the Border

Architecture prof. Ron Rael redesigns the U.S./Mexico border to encourage interesting interactions rather than just exclusion.

March 31, 2011 - Fast Company

The Tricky Business of "Taxing" Non-Profits

Payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) are a popular new way for cash-strapped cities to add to their revenue by swapping voluntary payments from nonprofits for property taxes. The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy evaluates this novel practice.

March 31, 2011 - Land Lines

Shipping Containers for the Homeless

A project now being considered by the City of Vancouver, B.C., would overhaul a handful of shipping containers to provide housing for the homeless.

March 31, 2011 - The Globe and Mail

The Worst Cities for Traffic

INRIX, a traffic analysis company, recently released its 100 Most Congested Metros list. Los Angeles and New York predictably come out on top, but the more interesting finding is that traffic has increased significantly.

March 31, 2011 - INRIX

WalMart and Target: Your New Neighbors

Who ever heard of "small-box stores"? Retail experts say the Walmarts and Targets of the world should have great success with smaller stores in urban settings.

March 31, 2011 - Retail Traffic Magazine

The Return of the Gravel Road

The paved roads that finally brought rural America into the 20th century are starting to disappear across the Midwest in the 21st.

March 31, 2011 - Star Tribune

Where Bike Commuting Happens

This series of graphics shows which states do the most for bicycle commuters, and which states have the most bicycle commuters.

March 30, 2011 - Fast Company

Reasons and Options for Shrinking Cities

As cities like Detroit show major population losses in the enumeration of the 2010 Census, experts discuss why cities are shrinking on this episode of the Diane Rehm Show.

March 30, 2011 - The Diane Rehm Show

Aligning Historic Preservation and Sustainable Design

Sustainable design and historic preservation design have sometimes been at odds. But a group of experts says these two goals can work together to improve building sustainability.

March 29, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Richard Florida Tells Cities to Stop Shrinking

Richard Florida says that shrinking is not necessarily a good idea for cities like Detroit and Cleveland that are losing population, and that it could do "more harm than good."

March 29, 2011 - The New York Times

Chain Retailers Should Benefit From Urban Rebirth

Rocco Pendola says chain stores are starting to adapt and move into downtown Los Angeles, following the population boom and setting a precedent for chain retail in downtowns across the U.S.

March 29, 2011 - Seeking Alpha

Activating Plazas with Transit

Transit planning consultant Jarrett Walker pools his readers' brains together to rough out what circumstances would need to be in place to create a truly transit-activated public space.

March 29, 2011 - Human Transit

Small Clusters of Homes Make the Best Communities

Jay Walljasper reviews Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating a Small-Scale Community in a Large-Scale World by architect Ross Chapin. Chapin says groupings of four to twelve households make the best communities.

March 29, 2011 - Shareable

NY Republicans Hop On Board the Anti-HSR Bandwagon

Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle and Rep. Tom Reed of New York are leading an effort to stop New York from receiving any federal funding for high-speed rail projects.

March 29, 2011 - Auburn Pub

Passing A Master Plan in Densityphobic San Francisco

It's urbanists vs. NIMBYs as San Francisco's Planning Commission prepares to vote on a new master plan that calls for more density and more affordable housing.

March 28, 2011 - The San Francisco Chronicle

When is a Freeway Not a Freeway?

When there is a toll, of course. But the Federal Highway Administration uses the word indiscriminately, confusing the matter, writes Peter Samuel of Toll Roads News.

March 28, 2011 - TOLLROADSnews

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.